Come, O Lovely Night, And
by Ellen The Amazing Noodle
Summary: The requests for Fanfiction writer TsukixnoEvernight. The sun is dawning on Elrios, your past, your dearest dreams; you cannot block the coming night. Arise, gentle moon, and teach the world not to fear the misunderstood darkness; for the night has beauty only few may see. Let the stars come and take your smallest wishes, and cast them to the sky; together they shall give light.
1. Lay the Sun to Rest, it is Your Time

TsukixnoEvernight's three-shot request (I made a mistake in communicating the one-shot and it somehow turned to a three-shot. Ahahaha...totally my fault, won't happen again.) Better late than never, though~ enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>XXX<strong>

"Chaser."

He yelped. "Gods, Eve!"

She looked with blank eyes that reflected his silhouette in golden shades with a questioning smile. "We are preparing to leave for the next mission. It is crucial we make with the utmost haste."

He gave an involuntarily shudder; if he hadn't taken an instant to check who was sneaking up behind his back, he would have fired his shooters instantly. And Eve wasn't technically "sneaking up" on him, but his senses as an assassin were always clear and sharp.

"R-right. Tell them I'm coming soon." He studied the floor; finding it unnerving to look into her blank, emotionless face that contrasted with the unnatural curving of her lips.

"Very well." Her optic channels did not blink; unlike human eyes they were not susceptible to air and dust as a thin but durable film protected them from harm. Still, she blinked once in a while, not for her benefit, but to put others at ease. She floated through the trees with her two combat units, the light of her El tracing behind in a faint shimmer.

As he put on the additional pieces of his armour, his mind wandered while keeping his senses alert (a feat few could truly accomplish.) When Eve only had her basic code, she was...cute. Her adamant claims of having no emotion merely emphasized the fact that she _did_, and Chung couldn't help but tease her from time to time, which earned him a lot of blushes and even more slaps than Elsword and his 'uncouth insolence that distinguish the eastern barbarians.'

Joking aside, they showed the same determination in achieving their goals. The others had their objectives, too, but they each showed it in different ways. Elsword, his brash attitude and often recklessly stupid behaviour in becoming stronger and finding Elsa. Aisha, intelligent and clever, but her youth restricting her from seeing more than she could. Ara, her blind determination in getting whatever power to save her brother.

No. Chung was patient as well as resolute, trying to see the larger picture when possible. He couldn't retake Hamel with just a bag of shooters. He certainly couldn't save his father and the Water El that way, either. He had cast off his Seiker name because the demons had stripped him of that as well, with his guardian pride.

When he reclaimed everything that was rightfully his to protect, then he would be finally worthy of being Prince Seiker, Protector of Hamel.

Eve, like him, had lost everything, but she didn't despair, either. She was intent on rebuilding her race, but she didn't mindlessly build Nasod after Nasod or try to destroy everything. Like him, she had the gifts of patience and fortitude, silently biding her time and powers for the day we would tackle it all in one calculative stroke.

He liked that about her. Maybe that was why he couldn't seem to be able to not bother her, because when she stood alone, motionless, he would feel his own loneliness resound from within, and when he'd approach, she didn't try to slap him away. That was progress, right?

Of course, this was all before Eve took the drastic step to reconstruct her kingdom that affected her permanently.

Unless influenced by some magic or other, humans couldn't be absolutely emotionless; even the strongest, seemingly invulnerable characters had hearts that could feel. Sure, Chung had his moments when he felt depressingly empty, like he could never become cheerful again. But his friends were always there to help him back on his feet, helping him find the strength to keep going. Even Eve had once slapped him back up, saying,

"_Behave like the kingly guardian you are. Wallowing in self-loathing in such a manner is disgraceful."_

"_But I just...don't...it's not that simple."_

"_An obvious revelation given the circumstances. If you were truly inept as you believe yourself to be, you may as well have perished with the others."_

"_...thanks Eve."_

"_You are not welcome. I remain the Queen of Nasods to lead my fallen kingdom to its former glory. If I cast that objective aside then I am worth no more than a pile of scrap metal that remains of my brethren. You survived the fall of Hamel because you were chosen to save it. Prove to everyone that you shall, or let your nation's pride fall with your poise."_

As befitting her, she had said and done many, many more things. It was always the little things that mattered most in the end, but of course, few appreciate the smaller things in life till they missed their absence. He knew it was just one of many steps she had taken to revive what she had lost, but sometimes he wished to Hamel she had never found that Seraph Code that had transformed her into the soulless, lethal machine that replaced his friend.

Sometimes he wondered. Other time he wanted to shake her, shout at her, do anything that might provoke her from her apathetic state, but that would only hurt him more.

All that ran in the main interface of her core was cold, calculative logic. She only stayed with them because she knew she couldn't do everything alone. It was logical that she would stay with the original team because they:

a) Had ample experience in working together.

b) Travelling with them granted access to items and places barred to others.

c) They were a strong band of fighters. Who wouldn't want to fight alongside them?

Buckling his guns to his sides, he threw the cape over his shoulders as they called to him.

"Oh, you're here! Are you okay?" Aisha waved over to him, smiling at his nodding assent. "Everyone's here, so let's go!"

As they walked to their next destination, all of them looked perfectly fine. Already Elsword and Aisha were snapping at each other over something trivial with Rena attempting to calm them down, Raven followed behind while flexing his arm, the action resulting in loud, metallic grinding noises, and Ara eagerly keeping up with the rest. As for Eve...she glided without effort, moving through the air with that same smile pasted on her face.

Chung did not know whether it was better or worse now that Eve had started to _smile_ again.

When Rena had explained to Eve that her monotonous voice and equally empty gaze unnerved others and scared away potential missions and opportunities, Eve took it upon herself to assume a placid smile in others' presence. Chung wasn't stupid as to think she did so because she was particularly happy about anything, and everyone knew it was to make the others feel less uncomfortable around her. And it worked; some of them found the smile easy to believe and pretend that nothing had changed.

"Chaser, you delay us."

Eve rarely said anything unless first spoken to, so it always gave Chung a good jolt whenever she spoke by her own.

"Yeah. Sorry." he looked away, finding the smile harder to look at. It didn't mean anything.

**XXX**

**Rest Stop: Elder Village**

"Echo! Are you really sure about this?"

"That's exactly what I should be asking you." For once she had abandoned her lollipop, taking the expected product out of her apparatus and frowning all the way. "What's got into your head, kid? You really think this'll make things right?"

Probably not.

But Chung wanted to see something other than that sometimes-frustrating, mostly saddening smile that Eve put on for his benefit; even a frown would be better. She had no emotion to display on her face...which was why he had consulted Echo for something that could reverse the effects, allowing her to keep both emotions and the Seraph Code without crashing.

It was stupid, irrational, and chances were Eve would never allow such a risk to be taken with her systems. But he asked anyway.

He had pleaded and nagged incessantly till her straight refusal softened into a "maybe", then a reluctant agreement and together, alchemist and assassin planned and built. The results: A black digital card the size of Chung's smallest fingernail that now rested in Echo's right palm. For something that took so long, the final product seemed so small.

Back to the present, Chung attempted to divert the question. "Will it work?"

She tossed her head, "It better. You had me going without sleep for days with this. The storage capacity is small enough to not disrupt any coding in her mainframe, but its hacking can last for a minute at most before it's overwhelmed by the core and destroyed. I've seen the Seraph Code; it merged with the Electra database, and together they take up pretty much her entire system. The chip can't make any permanent damage and it'll work."

"But does that mean...she has to start over?"

"Hm? Nah. You said she terminated her emotions, not her memories. For the most part her emotions would be the same. But...how are you going to convince her to install this thing? And when it's over, what then? You can't keep throwing temporary-lasting gadgets in her. She's made her choice."

"I...don't. I just...want to..." He struggled for the right words. What was the point of making Eve have emotions again for one minute? She probably didn't even care. But he wanted to see her looking not so...robot-like. The Eve she once was, the Eve that... "I just want to ask her if it was so bad having emotions. If she cared for us, even for a little bit."

Echo heaved a sigh. "Why do boys always realize this when it's too late?" She tossed the chip to Chung, who caught and held it reverently. "Kid, I don't know if doing this will get the answers you want, but I'm not doing this again, even for you. You made your choice, she made hers. After this, make sure to lay all of this to rest."

Despite him being a good foot taller than her, he was not bothered with her calling him 'kid'. Maybe that was what he was, trying to get something so hard to the point of insanity.

"Thanks, Echo."

"Good, you owe me forty-six lollipops; hand them over."

"You said it was 3, 000 ED!"

"That, and the lollipops. You know how hard you've made me work for this thing that won't even last a minute?"

"...I hate you."

"I'm feeling the love. Now give."

**XXX**

Now the question was, how to implant this chip in Eve...?

An emotionless being armed with lasers and death weapons was not the best thing to approach. Her two drones guarded her even when she was in Sleep Mode. And as far as Chung could see, there weren't any openings to put the chip in her. If he just went up and tried to insert the chip she'd probably recognize him as an enemy and blast him to pieces. He couldn't tell the others, not even Rena, because they would misunderstand, right? All of them were perfectly happy with pretending that Eve wasn't...really Eve anymore...

He knew he couldn't do it by force; even if he could physically, there was no way Chung would voluntarily harm her. There was a small chance of her agreeing to it, so he would have to use trickery. Assassins always planned before carrying out a mission. He squeezed the digital card in his pocket.

"Chaser, why do you look at me like that?"

He had been staring at her with rapidly changing expressions, curiosity and wistfulness only being a few. Of course, they were things Eve could no longer understand.

"Eve, I was wondering...how do you recharge your systems? You know, like when you go to sleep and such..."

"I do not sleep like you." Her voice did not reveal any suspicion or surprise at such a question. "My systems are temporarily disabled for maintenance, though not fully deactivated. Code Battle Seraph can go 65 days without rest, but to test the limit is unwise for prolonged combat. My drones contain the programs necessary for the core restoration."

"Yeah, but...how do they do it? I'm curious." He continued to prod.

"The procedure is quite simple. The mid-section of the back has a small receiver where numerous devices can be plugged at my convenience. But is such information necessary?"

"It's useful for my guns. I was wondering how to recharge the ammo and such, you know." he invented, the lies coming naturally on his lips as he hid his excitement at this new discovery.

"Do you require assistance? Perhaps I may help."

"No! No, I mean, it's okay, I was just curious as to whether it might work. Thanks, Eve!"

She blinked, but said no more as he went away grinning with anticipation.

The team managed to scrap enough cash for food and lodging for the night. Their missions had been scarce and they planned to move towards Hamel where the demons were more rampant. Nevertheless, the place they intended to rest was well-furnished and brightly lit with the innkeeper being a former swords master that understood their determination. There was even a giant field outside in the back usually used for picnics and festivals, but he said that they could use it for training practices, if they liked.

Naturally Elsword and Aisha couldn't refuse such a tempting offer to fight each other without bounds. If the locals didn't know any better they would have thought that the world was ending in fire and darkness. The Rune Slayer ducked orb after orb of crackling Hell energies, firing burning spheres of his own. It would have been comical to watch the two yelling and throwing things at each other if it wasn't so ridiculously dangerous.

"Just because you know a couple of fire tricks doesn't mean you can beat me!"

"Look at you, all talk and no strength. You're going to get burned!"

"Feel despair, lowly creature! You can't handle this!"

"Bring it, flattie!"

In the end, both idiots were so thoroughly burned out that Raven and Rena had to carry them back, but the elder pair put them together in the same bed, putting them in a cuddling position as they tucked the sheets around the oblivious couple, dead to the world. The elf stifled a giggle, and even Raven cracked a smile: they looked so cute together. It was also payback for being thoughtlessly childish and immature with their powers, again.

When everyone and everything had settled down to a reasonable extent, Chung crept towards Eve's room, giving three light knocks.

The door swung open. "Chaser, do you not require rest for tomorrow's journey?"

"Actually Eve, I was wanting to train, but Elsword and Aisha destroyed all the training dummies and everyone's sleeping...is it okay if you spar with me?"

Her eyes showed no surprise at his sudden desire to train so late into the night. It was reasonable, actually, for him, the darkness gave the assassin ample cover, more chances to strike. By doing this, even she could learn how to fight in the darkness. It was a logical choice.

"Very well."

There were still some craters smoking, but that didn't bother the two as they arranged themselves in battle formation.

"Okay...ready...go!"

Like she did with many things, the Battle Seraph fought with calculative analysis and deductive reasoning. She had already guessed that he would use the shadows to his advantage, blending into nothing. He was the tracker of death, master of stealth. But darkness faded in the presence of light.

"Hyper Optical Research." If Eve couldn't see Chung, then she could use her other senses to track him. Even an assassin couldn't hide his accelerating heartbeat and scent(even if he did wash well), if he did triumph in speed. Still, this was a friendly competition. Eve remembered that humans were more fragile than automatons, switching her internal power level settings from φ[Phi – 500] to ξ[Xi – 60] units of laser power per se; long-sustaining accidents only delayed the mission.

"Tesla Shock." The aura shield crackled around her upon her command, though she knew it would not wholly stop the assassin; this was just a precaution.

She had seen the Deadly Chaser in combat. He would first gauge his adversaries and environment from a distance, coming up with the most efficient and quickest method to dispatch his enemies. His intellect was that of above normal people, seeing as he could come up with a workable plan in approximately three and a half minutes on average.

So most likely he was analyzing her now...or not; three shells whizzed past her face and she sensed the hints of a shadow dart behind her. He was fast indeed.

There he was! Quickly she directed her drones to the silhouette, preparing a "Thousand St—"

"_Sharpshooter Syndrome!"_

She had miscalculated. The Chaser was 0.9% faster upon speed than she had originally assumed, leaving her wide open. Her stars could not resist the wind that pulled all of them in as she was engulfed in a cerulean-silver aura that would deal at least 35% of damage to her systems. But if she was pulled in close enough, she could surprise him by switching to Fusion Mode and dealing greater damage using their close distance.

But he did not let the windblast pull her in completely. Instead, he swerved behind her, shooting two freeze bullets that Eve dodged...only to hit Moby and Remy, making them drop to the ground like cannonballs. She barely had time to register their conditions as she blindly aimed an energy needle.

But before she could regain her control and aim a proper attack, the Tesla Shock had already worn off.

Then she felt him behind her, and in the next instant she felt herself tackled to the ground. Since when did the Chaser resort to such crudely childish tactics?

"What is the meaning—"

Chung was frantic. He didn't want to hurt Even any more than he had to, but he didn't want to get blasted to smithereens, either. He could feel Eve's back glowing, crackling with the energy that would probably hurt him...a lot. He fumbled through Eve's armour and clothing, adrenaline making him temporarily forget the indecency of his act.

To say he got the chip in time was an understatement. He had almost lost Echo's chip in the heat of the battle and had barely slipped it in Eve's data receiver before being flung back by a blast of crystal light. Eve stood, her face impassive ready to strike the death blow on him...

**Click.**

...and then she collapsed.

"Eve!" Chung cried, forgetting his own pain as he ran to her. Echo had warned him this was a bad idea. What if he had hurt her, or injected a virus? Carefully lifting her up in his arms, he felt like he had made the biggest mistake of his life. Did he kill her? "Eve, I'm sorry, please wake up, I'm so sorry..."

"For what?"

She was looking up, frowning. Frowning! An expression other than the deadpan mask that Chung thought would never change. The miniscule twitching of her left eye, the furrowed eyebrows...he had almost forgotten just how cute she looked when she was aggravated.

"I—what did you do?" She sounded utterly bewildered, her voice changing in tones as she spoke in astonishment. "I am feeling...I have forgotten what it's like to have emotions." Turning to him, "What have you done? My systems are—they are not malfunctioning. My memories...now have colour. They have music."

Chung hesitated, fumbling for the right words to explain. "I—well, I just wanted to—um, it's only temporary. Echo said—" He braced for the impact, imagining that she would be furious, why would he do something so reckless and irresponsible, why would he do such a thing that would serve no purpose...

_I just wanted to see you smile a real smile._

"No, I can already feel it fading as we speak." Eve shook her head. "Chung, I do not know what you have done, but this...I have never hoped to be able to be sentient again, not after absorbing the Seraph Code." Unexpectedly she raised a hand, lightly touching his cheek. Eve would rarely do such a thing like that, but the Chaser did not find it unpleasant. He held her hand in place as if it was the most natural thing to do.

"Eve," Now was the time to ask her. Did she regret the sacrifice she made?

She looked directly into him, her eyes sparkling. "You will not engage in this trickery again."

He was crushed. "Why? Did I really matter that little to you? We were your friends! Were we nothing to you?!"

Chung forgot that Eve had two hands as she used the other to slap him.

Ow.

"If you did not matter, my emotions would not be as developed and there would be no need to terminate them. If you did not matter, I would have no reason to accompany you on this journey. If you did not matter, I would not be feeling regret for having traded something so precious for something so menial as more power; Electra was competent as it was, but in my foolishness—Moby, Remy, cease! Retreat immediately!"

The two defrosted drones skittered to an instant halt, inches away from impaling Chung with their spikes. Never had their mistress commanded them so harshly.

Back to Chung, she spoke as quickly as she could, feeling her systems overwhelm the single chip that mattered, "There is a great emptiness, yet I cannot extract the Seraph Code. Even without my emotions, the goal to revive the Nasod Kingdom stands absolute. I must take every power granted to my abilities, even at the cost of friends and...you.

"I am sorry."

"Don't be." Chung let his hand fall, though Eve's remained on his face, a gently touch. "I...this was stupid, it's just hurting both of us. But it's good to know that you once cared."

"I still do." Eve already half-hoped he didn't catch that. To cover her embarrassment at saying such a bold thing, she held Chung's face in both of her hands and smiled. It was not the passive turning of her lips, but a shy, grateful smile that showed all her sadness, regret, and how much she cared.

As the last bits of Echo's chip disintegrated inside Eve's circuitry, she felt compelled to ask one more thing:

"I have no right to ask you of any favours, but if I...emoti...o...n...s..."

_Till then, will you wait for me?_

Something clicked, like a mechanical switch, and Eve's hands slumped beside her. The light left her eyes as the last of her emotions flickered, then died.

Beyond the woods, a wolf howled.

When her internal core rebooted, she could not understand what had happened. She remembered what she said, but she could not comprehend why she had said such things. Had she said she felt emptiness? Every space within her system was used to install and upgrade her powers. And she never had a heart to begin with.

To the Chaser, she asked,

"Why do you look at me like that?"

**XXX**

"We are terribly sorry for the damage we caused." Raven handed over the last of their funds to the lodge-keeper. "But this is all we have for the present."

The owner accepted gratefully, replying, "Not at all! I've seldom seen such magic and it goes to show that the people of Elrios have nothing to fear from the monsters."

As they continued in their journey, Chung was dimly aware of how Elsword and Aisha blushed furiously whenever their eyes met, the former muttering about 'cooties' and the latter grumbling about stupid pervert redhead boys. Raven and Rena were scouting ahead(yes, together), so he saw little signs of them. To the left, Ara was walking happily, knowing nothing of what happened last night.

Behind, Eve drifted at a moderate pace, her drones easily keeping up. She still could not understand what had transpired during her battle with the Chaser, but scans showed that she was in functioning order. There was apparently a small piece of hardware that had somehow installed itself, but her inner core had shut it down within a minute. After some analysis, she dismissed it as an insignificant glitch that meant little to nothing.

She could not feel fear, grief, or guilt.

So perhaps it was also another glitch that she could no longer smile to the Chaser. To the others she did it with ease, but her facial expression would always shift when facing him. Whenever she caught him staring at her for too long, she would turn away, ignoring his presence, although she could not explain why.

"_You made your choice, she made hers. After this, make sure to lay all of this to rest."_

Chung didn't want to lay this to rest. He could still feel a part of himself cling to a hope that festered painfully within him yet he still found it impossible to give up. He had seen her smile, but why did the memory of something so precious make him feel even sadder?

He grit his teeth as he looked over at Eve, saw her catch his eye, then look away.

"Come on, we have a long day ahead of us and we have to reach Sander before nightfall." Ara nudged him.

Chung mustered a smile, picking up his pace. "Yeah, gotta go before the sun sets."


	2. Carry the Moon so that it may Shine

Her Second Request: Eve and Elsword

**XXX**

* * *

><p>"You are no Queen, traitor." The last corrupted Nasod, a small android with its core cracked in multiple facets, growled when she approached. "Code Exotic is activated, but you are defective. You intend to destroy your own kind!"<p>

Eve deadpanned, raising her hand in a sweeping gesture as the commanded spear erupted forth, spearing the Nasod through its core. "Fool." She said as she withdrew her weapon, "You and the King Nasod are the ones who have betrayed your rightful ruler. This is the destruction that befalls those who cause mindless ruin."

"That's a lie! You are the one that is causing destruction!" Its voice grew weaker with each syllable, but with no less venom it continued with a series of mechanical clicks and hisses that were no doubt insults towards the queen in ancient Nasod language.

"Silence." The atomic machine gun blasted the offending Nasod into nothingness, flinging the remains into a corner where more hunks of machinery lay discarded. "You are mistaken.

I have only given what you and the others deserved for your senseless crimes."

Letting the gun dissolve in her hands, she looked around; every enemy had been eliminated. The others watched her carefully, wondering what she would feel now that all of her race was really gone this time. But she only scanned the surroundings for hidden dangers, and upon finding none, signalled that the coast was clear. They had to go; there was nothing left for them here.

As if the core knew that no one would ever come again, the surrounding rocks rumbled to collapse onto the entrance to the Altera Core, ensuring that no one would trespass the ancient graves of the once-powerful race ever again.

Many tended to forget that Eve, despite her looks, was _not human_. Nor was she a mindless hunk of metal with an arsenal of weapons at her disposal. She was efficient in her tasks and skill; that was factually correct. But her internal storage capacity was stored with battle combos, tactical planning, and files and files of data that would aid her in combat.

But she had enough mental capacity for other things. She didn't express them outwardly as humans, but she did have things running through her circuitry. Things like memories of these humans and elf that accepted her as comrade, perhaps more. Things that made her feel light and soft despite carrying a bunch of lethal blades on her back. Things that made her question many things, questions that bothered her so intensely sometimes to the point of not functioning in battle as well as she would have liked.

One such question was: What was she now?

She was an extractor of vengeance; such was what implied her new form. Upholder of Balance, if that sounded any kinder. Whatever title imposed upon her, it made no difference. Her code had made her an exotic, ruthless being that destroyed those who stood in her way. Much, of course, had been her fellow corrupted creatures, King Nasod being one of many. It was by her doing that all of them were rusting away in a forsaken cavern, never to be heard of again. That was what they deserved; destruction of Elrios would have corrupted the balance that the Nemesis stood to protect.

A Nemesis to her own kind, she extorted divine retribution from all, including her own kindred; even the very ones she needed to rebuild the lost kingdom.

But they were useless in leading the Nasods to resurrection and glory. Time and hatred had addled them, rendering them pitiful machines with no intention other than to destroy and kill even those who knew nothing of the ancient war. Those humans from those times were also long-dead as well. If they were left alone to do what they wished, they would not have gotten justice or revenge. Eve had done the right thing, giving what was due to them.

There was no remorse to find in her actions.

And she didn't have any to spare for them; a Nemesis stood for justice, destroying and saving what was necessary.

Yes, she was completely fine.

She let the wind flow through her hair, her sensors detecting an unusual source of power approaching her. It wasn't a Nasod, and if there were no enemies present, then it must be—

"'Sup, Eve."

—the dark El that flowed in the veins of the boy that loomed over her.

"Elsword." She tilted her head in acknowledgement. Unlike the locals, she had no qualms about Cornwell injecting one of the most dangerous and potentially fatal magic essences into its wielder. He had said that he could handle it, and if he could not measure up to his words, that would make him just one of many infected monsters that would need to be eliminated.

Not that she wished it on him to become corrupted like them, not at all. It would make her…unreasonably upset if he were. That very thought was disturbing.

"I'll keep this, uh, short. I mean, I know we destroyed the last of your family, and I just wanted to say I—" he inwardly grimaced; words were not his strong point. He braced for the expected slap and haughtiness expected from the Nasod.

"Your apology is useless." Eve replied, and then felt a prick of shame at the look she received from him. "I only mean that such regrets are largely unnecessary. They were no longer my 'family' from the moment they had turned on me; their end was imminent and justifiable. There is nothing to feel sorry for." She did not tell him, however, that something did feel a bit empty inside her, to which he would have probably laughed at. Every inch of her form was comprised of weapons, wire, bullets, and data chips. She was not hollow anywhere, so why would she feel as such?

"I wish to be in solitude." She replied, turning away.

He wouldn't let her get away so easy; he casually raised an arm, blocking her path. "You can tell me if something's wrong."

"Your concern is commendable, but I have no malfunctions. Perhaps you should care for your own body which continuously fights against the Dark El."

"Pfft, I'm doing fine." He snorted. "Don't worry about me."

"Good. I do not."

"Eve!" He made to intercept her once more, and Eve felt her irritation levels rise. Did he not respect her desires to be left alone? She was a queen! The Queen of…

Wait…

Ha ha…

"Leave me be." Her fingers gave a single twitch as she started to wonder if he would obey if she stabbed him with her spear. Not in the torso, certainly, but perhaps a strike on his arm or ankle would…

Thankfully it didn't come to that, because just them a very cheerful Wind Sneaker flipped in with a series of handsprings and leaps. "Yoo hoo~ Elsword! Raven's done, which means you can finally spar with him! Come on!"

"But I—" Elsword couldn't say more as he felt an unseen force knocked into the back of his legs, causing him to buckle and face-plant. Rena laughed good-naturedly, giving his hair a good tug before bounding away. "You've been whining for days that you couldn't have a good training session with him! Bet you can't outrun me!"

The last phrase worked like a charm; he immediately rose to the challenge despite everyone else knowing the exact outcome of such. "You're on!" He sprinted after the elf. "This time you're going to lose!" As he turned his back on Eve, the Nasod looked up in time to see Rena shoot her a careful look and a tactful grin. Eve nodded in return, feeling immensely grateful for her purposeful intrusion. Elves were definitely more perceptive than humans.

And supposedly humans became more intelligent with age...Eve shook her head.

Beside her, Ara and Chung pored over the map. Even inclined her head toward the conversation, hearing Ara as she said, "...we've done good work here. The ideal path would be to head down south, which would take at least several weeks. Then, we could catch a ship to the southwest."

Chung nodded in agreement. "That is where we would find the Halls of Water."

"Indeed." Ara closed her eyes, allowing her nine tails to disappear and Eun to retreat into its slumber. "That closer we approach, the more thicker the demons will come for us. But that is no matter. If we keep killing and killing, there will be an end to this."

"The objective is to rescue your brother, the priestess, and anyone else that can still be saved." Chung replied, puzzled.

Ara shrugged in indifference. "Regardless of how much peace is advocated, there will always be demons in the way. And the only way to pass them is to destroy them till nothing is left."

Chung tore his eyes from the map, shooting the girl an intense stare that she did not notice as she had already turned away, a spirit orb idly flickering in her hand as she played with it. Watching her retreating figure, the Iron Paladin remembered the unfortunate circumstances of the girl's background and wondered if he would have been like he had he chosen a different path: destroying everything in his path to reach one goal.

But Eve did not mind. In fact, she endorsed it. The monsters tainted this earth with their very presence, seeking nothing but destruction. The only justice that would await them would be certain annihilation. Ara was truly the 冥王, Ruler of Darkness. She ruled it by conquering the evil forces, absorbing their innermost essence to become stronger.

But Ara still had hope of reaching her brother. Raven had found redemption through his sword training. Eve had destroyed the last hope of reviving the Nasod Kingdom with her own hands. Even if she had the proper equipment, tools, and time to recreate her brethren, where would they go? What of the El that sustained them? Moby and Remy were her only proofs that the Nasods ever existed as more than corrupted mechanical killers. They flanked her closer than ever, even their basic coding letting them understand that the last of their race had disappeared off the face of this dimension.

They could have stayed near Altera for another night before resuming their journey the next day, but Elsword was adamant in leaving Altera as soon as possible. Chung supported this, though the redhead's furtive glances towards Eve implied something more as they trekked through the rugged landscape that stood between them and Hamel.

So of course they had to set camp for the night when the sun fell, having not even reached the midway point. Aisha grumbled a bit about having to sleep on the hard ground, but nevertheless, tents were pulled up and a fire soon bloomed in their makeshift pit.

Rena was especially cheerful that she was able to sleep under the stars; as much as she enjoyed the comforts of human homes, nature was her source of life. Night did not interfere with her perception; she saw with her eyes, her ears, her hands, her elven senses. It wasn't long before she excused herself, leaping away happily into the forest, swinging through the trees. Her echoes of laughter became fainter as she revelled in her freedom.

Ara also slipped away, albeit for different reasons. Eun's control over her had increased greatly, almost to the point where it was hard to tell where Ara ended and Eun began; the two were slowly merging into one being. The girl had realized that this came with many privileges other than great power; animals (especially foxes for obvious reasons) cowered before her unearthly presence, becoming tame as kittens when she approached them. The foxes were her scouts, the wolves her silent guards.

One by one, they drifted off, even Raven's eyes closed, usually being the one to volunteer first watch.

"We're running low on wood." Elsword gestured to the dying fire after some time. "I'll go get some more."

"No." Eve rose, her winged blades snapping to attention. "I shall. Ara and Rena are still within the forest, and I will ensure their safety."

He quirked an eyebrow, but refrained from saying anything for the moment other than "Go ahead."

Acknowledging his assent with a blink, she strode past with Moby and Remy soaring in pursuit. She delved in deep, far into the woodlands before her night vision detected the silhouette of a canine darting to the left. A fox, to be more specific. Such a shy, slippery creature...

Letting the beast disappear, she floated on before detecting a slight rustle of leaves to her left. A gust of wind whispered through her hair, heralding the presence of her elven friend that now stood before her.

"Eve! Something wrong?"

"Everything is in order, more or less. You are safe?"

"Yes." Rena whistled, and the breeze fell still. "Even though I have chosen to stay here, it seems my ties with the creatures of the earth are not severed. It's reassuring, really."

"You do not regret your broken ties with your kindred, then?" Again Eve reprimanded herself; surely she could have said that in a less harsher manner!

But Rena understood, even as her face fell. "That is a difficult question, Eve."

"I know. Still, I wish to know your answer."

The Wind Sneaker nodded, almost smiling. "My answer is here." She stretched her hand, showing the Nemesis a small sphere of wind forming at her fingertips glowing softly.

"Your answer is the wind?"

"Yes." Her green eyes flickered. "Wind does not stay still, or else it fades and dies. It is always changing course, moving with the world. In my time here, I learned that so many creatures, human, elven, even Nasods...they fear change. They fight against change with all their hearts...but time stops for no one. In the end, change is what saves them. Time flows with change, and so do we.

The elders of my home were immersed in tradition, not realizing that the world around them was evolving. The wind doesn't always pass the same place. My former kind could have expanded their horizons, even integrate their community with ours...but." The winds echoed her sigh. "That's why I am the Wind _Sneaker_. I am dead to the elves. They are dead to me. Yet the winds hide my presence, sneaking me across the planes of nature so I do not lose my elven ties with the spirits as easily as the elders hope I do."

"Change." Eve nodded. "But I was the queen of my kind. It was my duty to protect my kindred, yet I exterminated them."

Rena raised her eyebrows. "Would you rather have sided with them, slaughtering us and everyone else on Altera?"

Eve tossed her head in contempt. "Do not be ridiculous."

"You can spend centuries pondering on the past, coming up with infinite ways that might have changed such a situation. But even Glaive, with all his ability, cannot turn us back to such times. Accept your failings, but don't let them rule your life. Let it go, for there are others that you have to protect."

"Yes, especially the others." Ara emerged from the shadows, several foxes growling at her feet. "They sense a disturbance back at camp. Who was on watch?"

"Elsword."

"Something has been shifting in the unnatural plains."

"Probably more Shadow Creatures that followed our trail all the way here." Rena sighed. "Annoying pests..."

"I concur." Eve did not add that her sensors indicated another, more darker presence at hand. Like a creature that had once been dormant, now waking from slumber...

"Good." Rena cracked her knuckles, the wind howling around her ominously. "_Airelinna_, help us teach those who dare to disrespect this sacred forest."

**XXX**

* * *

><p>Shoving one off his back, Elsword quickly swung his blade to the left, cleaving a Glitter Spearman in two. How were these stupid hunks of corrupted flesh smart enough to organize themselves into an ambush?<p>

"That's right, come... Raven mumbled, letting a horde of Glitters block his path. "And..._Sonic Slash_."

"Just where are they all coming from?" Aisha slammed an incoming Glitter aside with her staff. "They've gotten stronger! How many are there?" an arrow whizzed by her, missing her eye by an inch. "Eek! Watch where you're shooting that!"

"Elsword, your left!" Too late; a Glitter Necromancer, one that seemed to glow with an aura more ghastly than others, had aimed a crackling orb of corrupted energy that hit its target right into his side. His growl of pain was cut short as he felt his heart constrict. He had received plenty of blows from countless monsters; why should this feel any different? His swords fell from his hands as he clutched at his side, his chest, everything he could get a hold of.

It was like a snake uncurling inside him, a small flick of a switch.

Pain...pain...pain...

"There's too many! We're not going to make it!" Aisha struggled to charge her powers, already panting from exertion. "Elsword! They're coming for you! Pull yourself together!"

The jolts of dark energy, still grazing at his side. The Necromancer's infection, pulsing through his veins. Was that primeval sound coming from him, the screams of pain? Yes, the Glitter's foul energy could taint every fibre of your being, squeezing the heart till it was a blob of darkness, corrupted by evil...literally devouring its victim from inside out. But no...Elsword, he couldn't die like that!

_He wasn't going to end this way!_

His heart quivered, its spasms getting slower and slower...

"_Drenched in dark power...it gives power to the darkness inside you...are you strong enough to accept the power of darkness?"_

"_**You worry too much, old man..."**_

His head...he had to clear his head. He was only dimly aware of the Glitter Spearman beside him, raising its weapon to slice his head. People were shouting...Raven? Aisha? Chung! He had to help them! He had to protect them!

"_**These powers of darkness, whatever they're from...I'll take them all!"**_

The Glitter that was about to decapitate him recoiled, balking at the sudden intense aura that surrounded this human. But...was he human? The energy that rolled off him, it was...the creature's mind did not go any further as it was overwhelmed by a barrage of blades, tearing it apart limb by limb.

He turned his head around. There was no trademark smirk or even the slightest hint of a grin as he slashed his blades, letting flames of fire and darkness erupt as he swung, mercilessly slicing a horde of glitters to nothing. He snapped their pathetic excuses for weapons, consuming them in fire and hacking them by blade. His feet crunched upon their entrails, their ashes trailing behind him. But he did not care. Power was coursing through him, amplifying with every heartbeat.

In the chaos, Raven felt the Glitters waver in their assault, and then break into a panicked retreat. But the elder found no relief at this favourable turn of events. Glitters were cowardly creatures, but it took no small amount to frighten one away like that, especially when most of their strength resided in their vast numbers. For a horde to scatter like mice...helping Aisha to her feet, he looked in Elsword's direction.

"...Guess everything's already taken care of?" The other girls casually emerged from the foliage, Rena already re-clipping her bow back into a lighter accessory. "It sounded like it was a good fight, too..."

"You know just as well as I that the fight is not over." Raven handed Aisha to the elf, who checked her for injuries. "The threat has simply been quelled by a larger menace."

"Oh, I know." Rena shrugged. "But it's not my battle to fight now, is it?"

Eve understood. That dim-witted muscle-brained tactless blockhead of a warrior had gone ahead and allowed the Dark El to dominate his consciousness. While his ingenious plan to 'take all the darkness with his strong willpower' sounded awe-inspiring and ideal, his physical limits and youth could not keep up. More training and time would allowed sufficient adaptability, but he...didn't think.

"Elsword is a terror on the battlefield." Ara casually remarked. "I hope we don't have to kill him."

Chung gave the girl a long look, finally adding, "No, it won't come to that."

But even he did not sound so sure.

By then, Eve had already disappeared.

The battle was long since over; but for the Infinity Sword, it was a massacre. Drenched in dark viscous blood, he hacked away at the remains of his enemies. He took no notice as she approached him, undeterred by the circle of bloodied flesh and scars of the earth around him. His power had dramatically increased, yes, but to exchange any amount of power for one's own mind was a fool's decision. That was the nature of a beast.

"The enemy is dead."

The repeated stabbing abruptly ceased as he turned towards her. His hair was a mess, black and red hair tangled in a mess of blood. His eyes were red, as they always have been, but there was an unnatural light to them. Eve felt as if she was looking into live coals. She also noted that his grip on his swords did not loosen. Was he even looking at her? If so, what was she? A friend? An enemy? Just one more monster to impale?

She stepped forward. He seemed to shrink as she approached, and when she was no more than five feet or so, he snarled, threateningly lashing out his swords. Moby and Remy hissed back, but Eve could sense ranging tones of defensiveness. He was not looking to attack her; he just wanted her to stay away...

Eve was not sure whether to feel moved by this. But her pity soon turned into irritation; so, he thought her too weak and frail for her to handle him? What, did he assume that she would be afraid to hurt her?

She was no longer a queen. She had no one left to defend.

With lightning speed, she summoned her atomic plasma gun. The Infinity Sword barely had time to growl before a series of shots burrowed into his limbs, causing agonizing pain that forced him to drop his weapons. He looked up, expecting the last shot to be at his heart or his brain. She was now standing right in front of him.

A stinging, white-hot blow, and everything fell to black silence.

He did not expect that he would open his eyes to the living world again. Yet he heard familiar voices. He could smell food and bitterness of medicinal herbs and ointments. He felt dull, aching pain on both his hands, right forearm, and left shin. And a stronger pain on his left cheek.

"...he should be awake any moment now..."

"...yeah, any moment now...man, Eve really slapped his face off this time, eh?" A laugh.

He grunted.

"And the conquering hero finally wakes." Aisha had a rare smile that had more tenderness than her default sarcasm. "Had it that bad, huh?"

"Don't even start on it." He tried to use his hands to prop himself up, which failed as he buckled in pain. "Dammit, of all the places I could have gotten injured, it has to be my hands?"

"You can thank Eve for doing that and not shooting your brains out." She shoved him back onto the bed. "It was that or you go completely psycho and destroy all of us."

"Wait, what?" This time he tried using his elbows, with more success. "I was trying to not get eaten by the Glitter monsters, not kill—oh." Realization struck him like a hammer.

"Is it too stupid to ask if you don't remember?" She said, cloaking her growing concern with more sarcasm.

"So that...all that wasn't just a dream?"

**XXX**

* * *

><p>In the night of a changing world, the life of a Nasod flickered. She sat on the fallen log that served as her woodland throne, staring into the stars, the floating ashes of the campfire, the quiet moon. Her thoughts drifted with these, though her increasing anxiety remained. Rena and Aisha had repeatedly assured her that Elsword was fine, his state was stabilized, and he was to wake soon...but when was this 'soon'? She had set her gun to the minimum levels as humanly possible so it wouldn't immediately disintegrate his bones, but...<p>

"Hey."

"Your body requires rest to properly heal." She said as she helped him into a sitting position. "You are covered in bandages."

"Was it that obvious?" He snorted. "I'll hide them better next time."

She sniffed, her immense relief and delight(?) only betrayed by discreet glances she shot to his side.

"Aisha...told me what happened. And I remember bits of what I did. I'm...I just wanted to tell you that...I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"Why am I sorry?" He repeated in disbelief. "Eve, I swore I would protect all of you. That I could handle the darkness of my powers so I could protect my friends. And look at this." He held up his hands. "I nearly hurt you guys and I'm only alive thanks to you." He grunted. "Some leader I am."

A strand of his hair fell loose, curtaining his face. Without thinking, she reached out and smoothed the strand of hair back with unusual tenderness. It was a while before she spoke, but she did with a quiet mellowness:

"You failed nobody but yourself. We all changed a bit, and...and you are still the leader. Accept your failings, but let it go, for there are others that you still have to protect."

Elsword glanced at her, surprised. (He did not know those last words were actually told to her by a very wise elf.)

"...And I had purposely handicapped your hands and limbs so you may recover without having the foolhardy notions to try your hand with your blades before your health is restored fully. Should you even come near your Cornwell, Rena and Aisha will bind you to your bed."

That sounded more like her. "Then how am I supposed to fight?!"

"That is quite simple; you shall not."

"...It was you who also slapped me to a coma, right?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"So you're just going to let the monsters get to me?"

Eve sighed. "Do you underestimate my powers? It is a queen's duty to protect..." Ah, he kept forgetting that she was no longer a queen...

"But hey, that means you have to protect me now." He grinned, laying a bandaged hand on top of hers. "So you're my queen then, right?"

She did not shrug away, nor did she reject the thought. Perhaps...it was fitting that it would be so, even with the changes that happened. Eve of the Nasods, a Nemesis to her kind and that of the humans, queen of...

"Does that mean I'm your king?"

"No."

"Aw..."


End file.
